Pistol with grip forming an angle of



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PISTOL WITH GRIP FORMING'AN ANGLE OF 31 WITH FRAME Filed Feb. 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7562@ 75 d ,I 24 BYJQ/m vou f'aa A Wam/Em Aug. 1:8, 1959 J. BQUDREAU 2,899,767

PISTOL WITH GRIP FORMING AN ANGLE-OF' 31" WITH FRAME Filed Farb. 29, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N V EN TOR.

`ffl/m L. Baud/"ena PISTOL WITH GRIP FOG AN ANGLE OF 31 WITH FRAME .lohn L. Boudreau, Stratford, Conn.

Application February 29, 1956, Serial No. 568,521

8 Claims. (Cl. 42-75) The present invention relates to an improved pistol design, and more specifically to a construction and arrangement which facilitates the shooting and aiming of the pistol, particularly where a plurality of shots are to be fired in succession.

Heretofore, pistols of the automatic or semi-automatic type have been constructed with the barrel disposed at the top of the frame and a grip depending from the frame at the rear thereof and forming an angle of approximately 55 to the axis of the frame. With this construction the barrel is disposed entirely above the grip and it has been found necessary in sighting and firing the pistol to slightly cock the wrist upwardly. When the pistol is fired in this position the recoil provides a rearward force spaced above the wrist which causes the hand and pistol held therein to rotate upwardly and rearwardly about the Wrist, resulting in the lifting of the muzzle. It is, therefore, necessary to return the muzzle to position to aim before ring the next shot. This is time-consuming and certainly a handicap in certain types of target shooting.

In order to reduce the muzzle lifting tendency of the pistol, it has been proposed to make the pistol as heavy as possible and to provide muzzle brakes so as to resist movement to recoil. In some target pistols, for example, weights have been added to hang from the barrel to achieve this result. The weight of such a pistol when held at arms length in shooting soon fatigues the shooter and renders it more diiicult for him to control the pistol during shooting.

The present invention overcomes these diiculties by providing a lightweight pistol so constructed and arranged that it minimizes any tendency for the muzzle to lift and facilitates the handling and shooting of the pistol, particularly where a plurality of shots are fired in succession. This is accomplished by providing a lightweight frame having a depending grip at the rear end thereof having a gripping portion which forms an angle to the axis which is preferably 31, but it may vary within either side depending upon the type of pistol and the person using it, and by placing the barrel along the lower part of the frame so that the axis of the barrel when extended will pass through the grip intermediate the ends thereof. With this construction it is not necessary to cock the wrist during tiring so that a comfortable position is maintained and at the same time the recoil will be along a line passing through the palm of the hand and in line with the forearm of the shooter, thus minimizing any tendency of the recoil to cause rotation of the wrist and lift the muzzle. Since the tendency to lift the muzzle is substantially reduced, the yframe and pistol can be made of relatively lightweight material so that the shooter is not fatigued by holding it at extended position and rapid fire can be achieved without the necessity of bringing the muzzle back on the target as was heretofore the case.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact thatthe magazine is located above the barrel and disposed in the Patented Aug. 18, 1959 frame of the pistol rendering it more accessible than heretofore when the magazine was included in the grip.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the specification and claims when considered in connection with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of the pistol.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front view of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a rear view of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detailed sectional view through the breechblock.

Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View through the breechblock.

Fig. 8 is a view of the pistol held in aiming position.

As shown in the drawings, the present invention comprises an elongate frame 10 having at the rear end thereof a depending grip 11. As illustrated in Fig. l, the gripping portion 12 of the grip forms an angle with the longitudinal axis of the grip which permits the pistol to be gripped and sighted on a target by means of sights 13, 14, without the necessity of cocking the wrist as is clear from Fig. 8. The angle of the portion 12 is indicated by the inner surface thereof and forms an angle Q with the longitudinal axis of the frame which is preferably 31. However, this can under some circumstances be varied between 21 and 41.

Disposed along the undersurface of the frame is the barrel 15 which can be secured to the frame in any suitable manner. As shown, the barrel is disposed in a groove 16 in the frame and is connected to the forward end of the firing mechanism which is secured to the frame by screws 17, 18 or any other suitable means. Any suitable ring mechanism may be employed. As herein illustrated it comprises a housing 19, preferably of steel having lower and upper walls 20, 21 provided with guiding surfaces for slidably receiving a longitudinally movable breechblock B. A key 22 mounted in the keyway 22a of the block B maintains it against lateral movement. The breechblock is normally urged to its forward firing position by spring 23 carried by a pin 24 having one end secured to the end 25 of the housing and the other end slidable in a bore 24a in the breechblock. The breechblock also carries a firing pin 26 in position to be struck by the spring actuated hammer 27 when the sear 28 is released by the trigger link 29 upon movement of the trigger 30 against the spring 31.

, Cartridges 32 may be supplied to the firing chamber in any suitable manner. Preferably they are fed from a magazine carried by the frame and located above the barrel. While the magazine may be of the tubular type carried by the frame in spaced relation to the barrel, it is herein illustrated as a clip 33 removably mounted in a slot 34 opening at the top of the frame and held therein by any suitable means (not shown). Cartridges are fed downwardly into the firing chamber by the usual spring pressed plate (not shown) when the breechblock moves to the 'rear when the shot is fired. In order to move the breechblock to permit loading of the first cartridge, the breechblock has a iingerpiece 35 projecting laterally through a slot 36 in the side of the pistol. By manually moving the breechblock rearwardly, the space under the magazine is cleared to permit a cartridge to drop into position to be moved by the breechblock under the action of spring 23 into firing position. Also, it will be noticed that movement of the breechblock to the rear will cock the hammer if it is not in cocked position. When the trigger is pulled, the link 29 will move the end of sear forwardly releasing the hammer 27 which will move under the action of its spring and strike the firing pin 26 resulting in the firing `of the cartridge. The firing vof the cartridge causes the breechblock to be forced rearwardly against the spring 23 and move the hammer to cocked position. The disconnect cam 29a on the trigger link prevents release of the soar until the trigger has been returned to 'normal position.

As shown in Fig. 6 the breechblock has an extractor link 37 which engages the rim of the cartridge and as the breechblock moves rearwardly causes the spent cartridge case to be withdrawn or remove a live cartridge in the barrel as desired. When the block has moved a sucient distance to withdraw the casing, the casing will engage the end of pin 24 which becomes the ejector means to cause the casing to be ejected, upon continued movement of the block through the aperture or slot 36 so that a new cartridge can be fed from the clip and into position to be fired.

It will be noted from Fig. 2 that the extension of the axis of the barrel passes through the grip between the ends thereof and, as indicated in Fig. 8, is located above the three gripping fingers and passes through the palm of the hand and is in line with the forearm. I have found that with the barrel mounted on the frame and the frame elements so arranged as to provide the angular `relationship between the grip and frame the tendency for the muzzle to lift is greatly reduced and hence it is unnecessary to make the gun heavy to counteract the tendency toward muzzle lifting. For this reason the frame and grip can be made from magnesium, aluminum, wood, plastic or other lightweight materials or combinations thereof resulting in an overall saving of approximately one-half of the weight normally found in pistols of this type.

A feature of the invention resides in the provision of an adjustable mounting for the trigger whereby its posit1on with respect to the grip can be adjusted to conform to dlfferent finger reaches. This is accomplished, as shown in Fig. 2, by providing a plurality of mounting holes 38 in the trigger and similar adjusting apertures 39 connecting the trigger to the trigger link.

If desired, a thumb rest 40 can be positioned on the side of the frame. While this may be adjustably mounted 1t is herein illustrated as being fixed to the frame.

The pistol of the present invention is normally so balanced and arranged that there is no substantial tendency for the muzzle to lift during the firing. However, under some circumstances it might be desired to provide weights for the barrel. This can be accomplished by inserting one or more weights 41 in the frame-lightening bores 42, 43 formed in the frame. Preferably, this is -done by removing one or both of the threaded closure plugs 44 and replacing it `with the weight having a threaded end adapted to be threaded into the bore. Also, weights can be placed in the hollow 11a of the grip, if necessary, to secure proper balance of the pistol.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a lightweight pistol which has increased accuracy due to the substantial elimination of any tendency for the muzzle to lift, is more comfortable to grip and tire since the wrist is in a substantially uncocked position and, due to its light weight, can be more easily handled and does not tire the shooter. Further, it can be red more quickly and accurately when a plurality of shots are to be in succession since it is unnecessary to return the muzzle to the target because of the elimination of the muzzle lift. While the present invention is extremely effective for target shooting, it is also highly desirable for use in all types of pistols.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

l. A pistol comprising a lightweight, elongate frame having a trigger, a grip depending from the frame at the rear thereof with the gripping surfaice of the grip adjacent the trigger forming an angle `of between 21 to 41 with the longitudinal axis of the frame, a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame and disposed above the trigger, and a breechblock carrying a ring pin and recoil means mounted on the frame in line with said barrel, said barrel and breechblock being disposed on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof, said axis being adapted to be located immediately above the bottom three tingers and passing through the palm of the hand grasping the grip and in line with the forearm.

2. A pistol comprising a frame having a trigger, a grip depending from the rear portion of the frame and having the gripping surface of the grip adjacent the trigger forming an angle of 31 with the longitudinal axis of the frame, a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame and disposed above the trigger and located on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof, said axis being adapted to be located immediately above the bottom three fingers and passing through the palm of the hand grasping the grip and in line with the forearm, and means on the frame forwardly of the grip and above the lbarrel for top loading cartridges to the bar-rel to be red therethrough.

3. A pistol comprising a frame having a trigger, a grip depending from the rear portion of the frame and having the gripping surface of the grip adjacent the trigger forming an angle of between 21 to 41 with the longitudinal axis of the frame, a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame and disposed above the trigger and located on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof, said axis being adapted to be located immediately above the bottom three fingers and passing through the palm of the hand grasping the grip and in line with the forearm, and a magazine carried by the frame forwardly of the grip and above the barrel to carry and supply a plurality of cartridges to the barrel to be fired therethrough.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said magazine comprises a cartridge clip removably mounted in an opening in the top of the frame.

5. A pistol comprising a frame having a trigger, a grip depending from the rear portion of the frame and having the gripping surface of the grip adjacent the trigger forming an angle of between 21 to 41 with the longitiudinal axis of the frame, a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame and disposed above the trigger and located on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof, said axis being adapted to be located immediately above the bottom three fingers and passing through the palm of the hand grasping the grip and in line with the forearm, a magazine carried by the frame forwardly of the grip and above the barrel to carry and supply a plurality of cartridges to the barrel to be fired therethrough, and an aperture on the side of the frame through which a spent cartridge case may be ejected.

6. A pistol comprising a lightweight, elongate frame having a trigger, a grip depending therefrom at the rear thereof with the gripping surface of the grip adjacent the trigger forming an angle of 31 with the longitudinal axis of the frame, a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame and disposed above the trigger, a breechblock carrying a firing pin and recoil means mounted on the frame in line with said barrel, said barrel and breechblock being disposed on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof and located immediately above the bottom three ngers and passing through the palm of the hand grasping the grip and in line with the forearm, a cartridge clip removably mounted in the frame above the iiring mechanism and adapted to automatically feed cartridges to said mechanism, and an ejection opening on the side of the pistol to pass the spent cartridge case after the cartridge has been fired.

7. A pistol comprising a frame having a trigger, a grip depending from the rear portion of the frame and having the gripping surface of the grip adjacent the trigger forming an angle of between 21 to 41 with the longitudinal axis of the frame, and a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame, said frame being substantially as long as the barrel and of a height substantially greater than the diameter of the barrel, the upper end of the grip being disposed above the barrel and the barrel being disposed above the trigger and on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof, and located immediately above the bottom three lingers and passing through the palm of the hand grasping the gp and in line with the forearm.

8. A pistol comprising a frame having a trigger, a grip depending from the rear portion of the frame and having the gripping surface of the grip adjacent the trigger lforming an angle 'of 31 with the longitudinal axis of the frame, and a barrel carried by the lower part of the frame, said frame being substantially as long as the barrel and of a height substantially greater than the diameter of the barrel, the upper end of the grip being disposed above tlhe barrel and the barrel being disposed above the trigger and on an axis passing through the grip intermediate the ends thereof, and located immediately above the bottom three fingers and passing through Y the palm of the hand grasping the grip and in line with the forearm.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 151,882 Jones June 9, 1874 232,880 Burton Oct. 5, 1880 391,473 Kaldenberg Oct. 23, 1888 m 597,588 Nygren Jan. 18, 1898 839,938 Lister Jan. 1, 1907 2,259,569 King Oct. 21, 1941 2,468,784 Seagraves May 3, 1949 2,483,837 Nettles Oct. 4, 1949 2,495,428 Simonson et al. Jan. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,415 France Dec. l2, 1922 20 OTHER REFERENCES Bannerman Military Catalogue, 1933, No. 22, Francis Bannerman Sons, New York, New York, pp 82, 83, 96-98.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CRRECTIUN August 18, 1959 Patent Noo 2,899,767

John L Boudreau It s hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read-as corrected below.

Column 2, line 69, before "Sear" insert the Column 3, line 62,

after "be" insert fired m- Signed and sealed this 8th day of March 1960a (SEAL) Attest: v KARL H AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Ocer UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION August 18, 1959 John L Boudreau It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should readas corrected below.

Column 2, line 69, before "sear" insert the m5 column 3, line 62,

after "be" insert fired mns.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of March 1960.,

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL H AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner Of Patents Attesting Oicer 

